Best Electric Knife Reviews: The Best Knives for Professional Quality Cut

Using a knife has been the way we slice ingredients for ages. We have been used to the slicing motion and seems oblivious to how tiresome it is to do. This is all fine until you find a better way to slice.

Electric knives take all the hard work from slicing and allows you to focus on your work, which is, to cook delicious recipes. These knives have the option to be plugged to the outlet or operated with batteries if wires are not your thing. It usually comes with many blades that you can interchange when the need arises.

In this article, I will review some electric knives and give you a reason to try this amazing kitchen technology. I will also compare electric knives to traditional knives and present things to look for when you decide to buy the former.

Finally, I will give you my seven best electric knife pick. These are some of the brands I actually use and can vouch for its quality. I will also give you what I think is the best to have among the seven.

What to Look for in an Electric Knife

If you want to have your own electric knife set, there are a few things that you need to consider. Here are some features to keep an eye on when shopping for your set.

Cord vs Cordless– There are two main categories of electric knives, cord and cordless. The cord type is of course powered from the wall and the cordless is battery operated. The main issue between this two is power vs portability. With cord, you have unlimited power but at the same time, you have a little bit of maneuverability problem. The wire is just in the way. With cordless, you don’t have this problem, but when the battery begins to run low, performance also suffers. Some designs get around this by switching between cord and cordless.

Cord length vs. Battery life– Closely related to the first issue is the cord length vs battery life. If you want to opt for totally cordless solution, make sure that it has some hefty battery life. On the other hand, if you’re fine with the dangling wire, make sure that you have enough length to move around freely. Otherwise, you will have to work too close to the wall.

Blade material– Choosing the right blade material is very important because the blade is what makes a knife a knife. All the brunt of the work is done here and if the material is not good, you can’t expect quality result.While stainless steel is the all-time favorite, composite materials are becoming more and more popular particularly among kids learning to cook. Even adult love a good composite or ceramic blade because it doesn’t tarnish and it doesn’t look as intimidating as a metal blade.

Blades in the kit- Most electric knives will come with blade kits but knowing what comes with the kit will determine if it will serve you well or not. In most cases, it will have a blade for bread and a multipurpose blade. You also have to know the length of the blade because some lengths are good for filleting fish while others are good for turkeys.

Handle design– An ergonomic handle design will come a long way when you’re in the thick of things. When your hand is soaked with oil and the knife is vibrating vigorously, a contoured handle will greatly help in preventing injuries. Look for a knife that has a contoured handle with a switch that’s easily accessible from it for safe and easy usage.

Child safety mechanism- If you have kids in the house, it’s better to look for electric knives with double locking mechanism or locking trigger. You know how those little ones can be adventurous sometimes.

Dishwasher safe- When you have cut your shares of meat or fish, you would wish for an easy way to clean your knife. Some designs have dishwasher safe blades and handle and if you’re not apt to washing it manually, it’s good to have something that you can just dunk into the dishwasher.

Warranty- When it comes to warranty, you are normally looking for longer. This generally means that the manufacturer is confident that their product would last longer.

Style- While style is not really on top of my list of priority features, there are some who would want their kitchen appliance to suit their theme. Some would like to show off a kitchen knife on parties and other special occasions and style might be a good consideration when choosing a knife.

Extra– It’s nice when the knife comes with extra handles, wood storage blocks, safety buttons and long cords. You would also be looking for different speed settings so you have multiple cutting powers for different tasks.

Top 7 Electric Knives Reviews

1. Rapala Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife

As its name suggests, the Rapala Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife cuts through meat and fish like cutting cheese with a hot knife. This is really a heavy duty cutting implement and it will cut through bones if you don’t know when to stop. The secret behind its power is that it has three times the usual speed of regular electric knives.

Even when the meat is a bit frozen, you can count on this knife to do its job. It sports a 7.5-inch blade and an 8-foot power cord. For most filleting needs, you can count on this knife to do the task. It’s comfortable and relax grip ensures fatigue-free slicing even for longer periods.

Pros

Made of top quality material

Heavy duty motor

7 1/2″ reciprocating blades

Dishwasher safe

Twice the speed of standard electric knives

Three times the power of standard electric knives

Cons

More expensive than most knives

2. Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife

When it comes to having a kitchen knife that suits most kitchen needs, the Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife is the best contender. It is a corded electric knife which means that you have unlimited power and a cord length of 4 feet which is long enough for most kitchen setup.It comes with two blades, one for bread and one for carving.

The carving blade is also a multipurpose blade allowing you to use it for other cutting purposes. The handle has ergonomic design and has the on/off trigger is well within your reach.

Pros

2 high quality blades

Wooden storage tray

Ergonomic handle design

Cons

The handle tends to break easily

3. Black & Decker EK 700 Slice Right Electric Knife

If you’re looking at cutting beyond 7 inches, the Black & Decker EK 700 Slice Right Electric Knife has 9” overall length that’s apt to the task. Cutting through meat and bread is easy with this fast sawing electric knife. Just when you think this knife is hard to control for its size, think again, because its ergonomic handle is designed to increase comfort and provide control while slicing.

All the removable blades that come with this product is dishwasher safe and its so easy to separate from the handle with its release button.

Pros

Ergonomic handle for comfort and control

Long enough for most cutting needs

Ergonomic handle design

Dishwasher safe

Cons

Some products shipped are defective and have to be replaced

4. American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife

Another powerful knife is the American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife. It has double the torque of the regular electric knife. It’s so smooth to operate resulting in consistent fillets.

The length of this knife is also worth mentioning. With blades as long as 10”, you can cut whatever you want to cut with this knife.

Pros

5 replacement blade options

Heavy duty motor

Ergonomic handle

Cons

It’s really expensive

Tends to overheat easily

5. Hamilton Beach Electric Carving Knife with Case

For consistently nice cuts, you can’t go wrong with Hamilton Beach Electric Carving Knife with Case. This is primarily due to the comfortable handle and powerful motor and sharp blade.Its razor-sharp blades are made of stainless steel giving you the confidence that it’s not going to corrode. It’s also dishwasher safe and sturdy enough to withstand bending. The blades are easy to remove and it never needs resharpening.

Pros

Space-saving storage case

Stainless steel blade and fork

Perfect for carving meat

Slicing all types of bread

Cons

The switch is awkwardly placed

6. Proctor Silex Stainless Steel Electric Knife

Whether you are slicing turkey, roast beef, or pork loin, the Proctor Silex Stainless Steel Electric Knife won’t shy away from the job. The blades that come with this electric knife are so sharp, you can’t find any ragged edges that would reduce the attractiveness of the cut.

This electric knife is ambidextrous and it features a contoured grip with vinyl handle making it easy to slice anything. All its removable blade are dishwasher safe so you don’t have to worry about cleaning it.

It also features a high-torque motor and an advance airflow design resulting in a smooth but really powerful operation. This machine will not shy away from cutting tough ingredients like meat and hard crusted bread.

The only caveat I can think of this electric knife is that it takes two hours to fully charge. If you don’t mind waiting, you can go for this electric knife.

Pros

Highly portable

80 minutes of battery life

High-torque motor but smooth to operate

Cons

Take too long to charge

Advantages of Electric Knife over Traditional Knife

I have to admit right from the start that not all slicing job requires an electric knife. Don’t throw away your traditional knife set yet, you will still need all of that. In some cases, an electric knife is an overkill, but there are unique instances when this appliance does excel. Here are some advantages of an electric knife over traditional one.

1. It does all for you

With electric power, you can do away with all the slicing motion and focus more on your angles and attain that perfect cut. This allows you to have that consistency with your cuts, doable only by experts welding traditional knives. Slicing hard to cut items like poultry and fish is a breeze because of its moving razor sharp blades. This translates to less food preparation time which when you add up after weeks and months, is really a lot.

2. It’s safer to use

This might sound counter intuitive, but those who have experienced being nicked after trying to cut some hard objects would agree that a dull knife has more potential to injure you than the really sharp ones. With the combined power of electricity and razor-sharp edge, electric knives can cut through hard objects with ease. This means less slippage which can result in injuries.

3. No need to sharpen

Unlike a traditional knife, there is no need to sharpen electric knives because it comes with a lot of replacement sets. This means that you have sharp blades all the time. It also has blade kits containing special blades for different cutting needs. It has blades for bread, meat and vegetables and all you need to do is switch blades as the job requires.

4. It’s more affordable than top of the line knives

This might surprise you but most electric knives are actually cheaper than top of the line traditional knife sets. The best knife sets have a lot of heritage and prestige behind them and it has attained a collector item’s status. Because of this, you have to pay a premium just to get a set. While there’s room for collectibles in my kitchen, sometimes I just settle for something that gets the job done to save a few bucks.

These being said, electric knives and traditional knives can co-exist at the same kitchen. While their functions overlap, there are instances that one is better than the other and wise chef will know which one to pick to serve his or her purpose well.

Final Thoughts

The clear winner in this review is the Rapala Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife. The ragged simplicity and strength of this electric knife is just mind-blowing. The way it cuts through hard ingredients is really the deal breaker for me. You can really feel the raw power in your hands while you’re slicing.

The American Angler PRO Professional Grade Electric Fillet Knife is a close competition of the the Rapala except for the price and the fact that it tends to overheat sometimes. But when it comes to sheer power, the two are my top choices.

For daily usage and consistent result, you can’t go wrong with the Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife. This thing just works and delivers consistent slices without the ragged edges. The secret really lies in the razor-sharp blades. If you have tried traditional knives from Cuisinart, you will find the same quality knives here except for the added electric motor.

If portability is your thing, the Rapala Lithium-Ion Cordless Fillet Knife is the perfect choice. This is really a good electric knife except that I don’t like to recharge often. Although cords bother me a bit, I would take it any day as long as I won’t be recharging.

Would you like to share your experience with electric knives? Please share you comments in the section below.